NJEA pickets protest across South Jersey

Staff photo by Tim HawkAnn Muits from quinton twp school protests in front of the courthouse in Woodbury, where state Sen. Stephen M. Sweeney has his county freeholder office..

By Pete McCarthy pmccarthy@sjnewsco.comWOODBURY -- Teachers from around New Jersey protested outside the offices of 30 state senators Friday morning as part of a statewide effort to speak out against legislation they say will affect their pensions.

About 300 teachers, custodians, cafeteria workers and bus drivers were outside the Gloucester County Courthouse on Broad and Delaware streets in Woodbury chanting, "We are not the problem."

The effort was to send a message to Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney, D-3, of West Deptford, whose freeholder office is inside the building, according to New Jersey Education Association President Joyce Powell.

"They are not doing pension reform," Powell said. "They are doing pension reduction. We want everyone to understand that we should not be victimized because they want a sound bite."

Rather than target teachers, Powell said the legislators should try to stop the overspending when it comes to "their own political appointees."

What the state is trying to do, according to Sweeney, is fix a problem that has been getting worse for years.

"If we continue to go in this direction, the pension down the road is going to go broke," said Sweeney.

The state is making "minor adjustments" when it comes to new employees, according to Sweeney.

"The people you saw protesting, they don't lose one penny," Sweeney said.

Similar protests were being held around the state. The NJEA has 205,000 members. At least 10,000 protesters were expected at the different offices, Powell said.